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NSA Leaks: The Big Data Two Step for Businesses This post originally appeared on LinkedIn as part of their influencer program on June 10, 2013. To see the original post click here.
I expect we will be seeing a lot of dancing over the next few...

Coming to an Agency Near You! This post originally appeared on LinkedIn as part of their influencer program on September 23, 2013. To see the original post click here.
I am often pondering what is next in the world in which we...

Customer Service Week: Here's Your Call Center This post originally appeared on LinkedIn as part of their influencer program on October 7, 2013. To see the original post click here.
As we begin Customer Service Week I want to thank all those...

Defining the Customer Experience Role This post originally appeared on LinkedIn as part of their influencer program on October 2, 2013. To see the original post click here.
Customer experience is a term growing in popularity within businesses...

Apple's #Fail When Dealing with @MarthaStewart This post originally appeared on LinkedIn as part of their influencer program on September 30, 2013. To see the original post click here.
It feels like it was the Tweet heard around the world:
"I...

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This may be preaching to the choir, but the world has changed. Many who read this blog already understand that this change is dramatic and the power of the Customer is huge. But between you and I businesses do not see this yet. It is sad that businesses continue to be focused on force feeding their brand message. Do you want to help change this? Then buy a business leader Gary Vaynerchuk’s new book ‘The Thank You Economy!’

Social media is not anything special, it is simply a new communication medium, but it does create dramatic shift for businesses. Today people are sharing details of their opinion of products and influencing those around them. More than that, they are also sharing information that they want other to know about themselves. How can you make this part of your business?

I think this year will present a few tipping points that will be interesting to follow. I do expect some individuals will back away from social media as they figure out what they are willing to share in the space. Don’t worry, I think this will be short lived. I also expect many of these firms that have popped up promising huge returns via social media will start to shut down or merge in with larger firms. We will also continue to see the growth and improvements to social crm tools. Listening tools will continue to improve speed, and the abilities for Customer engagement. These are keys necessary for this shift to the Thank You Economy.

The most important part of this shift will be the human interaction that is missing in many company social media efforts. Now they do exist but in many cases not endorsed or supported by the business. This will change over the next few years. We will see more companies embracing their own employees use of social media. The fact is employees are the most passionate about the company and they are the best ones to represent the company to Customers. We will also see companies focus on the Customer experience. This will not just be a marketing message, but rather a shift in the way they conduct business. There will be a major change in cultures for companies and those who embrace these aspects will be the long term winners.

Over the years I have heard how the Zappos model does not scale, nor the ability to create a one to one experience for Customers. I disagree with this view, especially since tools make this scalability very easy. It does require change, which I know will be hard. I have seen so much change in the world, many of which could have never been predicted. We have to create a new vision. Here is an interview Gary did on MSNBC today: